This invention lies in the field of heavy duty cable fittings. More particularly, it concerns the design of a very heavy duty shackle, such as would be used in an anchoring system, and subjected to forces of several hundred tons or more.
In the prior art, shackles in the form of a U shape, with pins which pass through openings in the ears, have been constructed of round bar stock, which is flattened on the ends, drilled for a pin, and then bent into a U shape. Such shackle bows having a round cross-section are unsatisfactory, since they provide a very small radius around which a heavy wire rope must bend when in use. With small size wire ropes, a thimble is often used, which will provide a surface of greater radius, to support the wire rope and utilize the full strength in the wire rope. However, for very heavy loads a thimble is not practical, and there is consequently a weakness in the use of a heavy wire rope when bent around a small radius shackle.